Pairing great food with seasonal spirits!

Oktober Fish and Applesauce

Oktoberfest is going on right now! Since I can’t be in Germany to celebrate, I figured I could bring a little of the celebration to my kitchen. However, it’s also the middle of apple season. I can’t pass up any apple related foods. Why not combine the two? After all, applesauce and beer both go well with sausages and pork tenderloin.

It’ll be two fall favorites!

The Beer:

Oktober Fish from Flying Fish Brewing Company has a nice ring to it. The bottle is decked out in blue which really stands out against the sea of orange that has invaded most of my beer selection at the moment (pumpkin season am I right). The bottle promises “savory malt profile and European hop flavor” and recommend it as the “best for wurst.”

I’ll admit, I love the word play.

Style: German style ale with 6.0% alc. per vol.

Color: Dark red

Aroma: I can definitely smell the malts. It’s toasty, but also light.

Taste: Smooth with a medium body. It’s got the combined favor of hops and malt, but I think the malt is just a little stronger.

Level of Recommendation: As the bottle recommends, I’d drink this beer with a nice wurst (my favorite is weisswurst).

The Food:

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you might be familiar with my use of the crockpot. I can’t keep it a secret any longer. I love my crockpot. I don’t know what I would do without it. So get your crockpots ready because we’re making applesauce!

What you’ll need:

6 apples (mix and match please)

1/2 cup of water

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1 cinnamon stick

Lemon juice (maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 of the lemon)

A few good shakes of ground cinnamon

You’ll want at least three different types of apples for this recipe. It’s also alright to use bruised apples.

Peel the apples and chop them up into cubes. Be sure to remove the core and seeds. Place in the crockpot. Pour in water, brown sugar, lemon juice, and ground cinnamon. Then add in your cinnamon stick. Set on low for 4 – 6 hours. Stir occasionally.

Mash the apples with a fork or potato masher if you have one.

Enjoy your warm applesauce on it’s own or with your favorite dish.

The Pairing:

I really like the sweetness of the applesauce with the richer flavors from the beer. Though it does work on it’s own, I’d recommend adding in a savory element for a complete meal (and flavor combination). It gets all the right fall flavors.

Level of Recommendation: On it’s own this is a nice dessert pairing, but add in that savory element and you’ve got one heck of a meal to kick off the start of fall.